Osun workers resume strike

Workers in Osun on Tuesday resumed work after seven weeks of industrial action called by the state labour unions due to unpaid salaries by the state and local governments.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that workers in Osogbo Local Government were seen tidying up their offices at the council secretariat that had been under lock and keys for seven weeks.

A staff of the local government, Mr Maufu Abdullahi, told NAN that workers resumed work following the directive they received from their union leaders suspending the strike on Monday.

He said workers had received bank alerts of one month salary (January) with a promise to get February’s salary on Thursday this week.

Abdullahi said the union leaders had promised that workers should expect the second payment on Thursday, while the remaining months would be paid when the Federal Government bailout fund was released.

NAN reports that workers in the state Government Secretariat, Abere, were seen sparsely in their departments, some were in groups discussing the situation, while others were putting their offices in order.

One of the workers told NAN under the condition of anonymity that workers still had reasons to doubt the seriousness and sincerity of the state government to pay February salary on Thursday.

He said the doubt being expressed by the workers was based on the antecedents of the government in the recent past.

The NLC Chairman in the state, Mr Jacob Adekomi, called off the strike on Monday after the unions had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the government’s representatives.

Mr Adekomi said the state government had paid workers’ salaries for the months of January, “while February salary will be paid on Thursday.’’

He said the government has agreed to pay the rest of the salaries immediately the bailout funds from the Federal Government are released.